Faceting head



July 6, 1948. 1 M; WEIR 2,444,795

FACETING HEAD Filed Sept. 28, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor Patented July 6, 1948 narra o Vsl'mr ses v3 Claims. l

This invention relates to faceting heads for use by lapidaries and gem cutters.

The primary object of thev invention is to lregulate the angle of a facet to be cut or being cut in a gem and to assure that all facets similarly positioned about the gem will be at the same angle to the axis of the gem in the finished product.

Another Object of the invention is to regulate the depth of cut of the facet or a group of facets so as to assure that they all coincide on -the finished" gem.

'Still other objectsv include a faceting head whichv will `enable thel facets to be cut at different predetermined angles or to different predetermined depths which maybe chosen by the lapidary or gem cutter.

Still another object is tol facilitate the inspection of the gem'being cut without-in any manner disturbing the various adjustments or settings bywhich the angle and' depth of cuts are controlled.

The above and other objects' may be obtained by employing this invention, which embodies, among its features, a vertically adjustable supporting device or yoke, a substantially semi-circular protractor plate pivoted on the' yoke t0 swing about a horizontal axis; a carriage mounted onthe` yoke to swing about the same ,axis as the protractor plate, means to adjustably secure the protractor plate and carriage together, whereby they may be swung in unison about the horizontall axis, means .to stop the swinging 4movementin, one' direction when the protractor attains. a predetermined position, and means `on the carriage for supporting a gem-holding dop stickin. such av position that the axis ofthe gem supported 'thereby lis perpendicular to the horizontal axis about .which the carriage swings.

Other features embody yielding means to urge Ythe dop stick ,and `gem carried' thereby toward a lap wheel, and means to limit the distance which the dop stick may be advanced under the .influence ofthe yielding means toward the lap wheel.

'In the drawings:

Figure A1 vis a .side View of a faceting head. embodying this. invention.

y Figure `2l is atop plan view :of Figure 1.

Figure is afront view of Figure 1 showing` the ,lap wheel omitted,

Figure 4-.is an enlarged ytransverse sectional View taken on the line 4--4' of .Figure l,

Eigure. .5 is .a side viewppartially in section 4of the carriage and dop stick supporting rod,

(Cl. 51e-2291)" 2. Figure 6 is an inverted perspective View ofthe carriage, v

Figure 7 is a fragmentary side viewof a facet ing head showing a modified form of protractor plate, and

`Figure ;8 is -a'- top plan View of Figure 7".

Referring to the drawings in detaiLI provide a standard lil-which is supported bya suit'- able` foot H and carries a vertically `adjustable collar I2 which may be held in variouspositions on the standard by means of a set-screw lf3.

Fitting loosely over the upper end of the standard I0 and adapted to restv on the upper edge of the-collar I2 is a sleeve I?,V carrying a yoke designated generally I5. This yoke comprises a bight lportion it, to whichv the sleeve It may be attached in anysuitable manner, or these parts may be formed integral as illustrated in the drawings. Extending forwardly from the bight portion 'lr6 of the yoke l5 is apair of parallel arms I'I which are provided, near their outer end, with aligned openings for the reception of a pivot pin t8, onev end of which carries a 'head I9 for a purposer to be more fully hereinafter described'. The opposite endhof the pin I8 ils pierced to receive a locking or cotter pin '20' by means of which the pivot pin I8 is held against longitudinal displacement. Attached to one of the arms-,l1 is a stop 2-I, the purpose of which will hereinafter appear.

Rotatably mountedv on the pivot pin I lbe'- neath the head I9' is a substantially semi-circular segmental plate 22- carrying, on its-'outer face adjacent its curved edge, graduations `23 of the type of a protractor. Formed inwardlyof the outer curved edge of the plate 22` is an arcuate slot 2li which lies concentric with the axis ofthe plate and its curved edge. Astopv shoulder 25' is. formed at one sid-e of the plate for engage-` ment with the stop 2l previously `mentioned lso as to limit the movement of the plate in one direction.

Mounted to rotate about thev pin I.8, between the arms Il, is a .carriage designated generally 26.. This vcarriage comprises a substantially triangular bed plate 2.'I carrying fat two ofV its .corners ears .28. in which la bearingtube 29 for the receptionV vof the pin I8 is supported. Itis ,to be understood. of course, that` the .ears 28 are formedwithalignng openings through which the ends .of Athe pin I8 may project. Formed attl'ie third corner of .the plate 21 is an ear 30 .and formed midwayof theend of the plate carrying the ear 28 is a similar ear3l Iwhich cooperates with the ear 3U in supporting a bearing tube 32',

3 the axis of which lies perpendicular to the axis of the bearing tube 29 previously mentioned. Like the ears 28, the ears 30 and 3| are formed with aligning openings which also align through the bearing tube 32. Riveted or otherwise secured to the upper side of the plate 21, i. e., that side of the plate opposite the one from which the ears 28, 30 and 3| project, is a leaf spring 33, the end of which projects beyond the end of the plate 21 carrying the ear 30 to form a lifting lever 34. This projecting part carries, adjacent the ear 38, a toothed rack section 35 for a purpose to be more fully hereinafter described. Secured to one of the ears 28 and extending toward the end of the plate 21 carrying the ear 30 in parallel relation with the axis of the bearing tube' 32r isy an arm 36, the free end of which is turned at right angles as illustrated at 31 in Figure 6 and bent back to form an indexing finger 38, which, as illustrated in Figure l, partially overlies the outer face of the plate 22 and cooperates with the graduations 23 thereon. Formed in the arm 36-is an opening which aligns with the slot 24 in the plate 22 and carried by the arm 35 is a iiller block 39 formed with an opening 40 which aligns with the opening in the arm. It will thus be seen that when the carriage is assembled in the yoke, the space between the plate 22 and the arm 36 will be filled, it being understood that the filler block 39 isof a thickness equal to the thickness of the arm I1 of the yoke over which the plate 22 lies.

4vSlidably mounted in the bearing tube 321s a shaft 4| carrying, at its lower end, a head 42 whichis drilled axially to form a socket 43 for the reception of a dop stick 44 which is held in the socket bymeans of a suitable set-screw 45. .The upper end of the shaft 4| is screw-threaded, as at 46, with which a locking nut 41 and a jam nut 48 are engaged. A compression coil spring 49 surrounds the shaft 4| between the head 42 and the carriage 26 and the upper end of this spring bears against an indexing wheel 58 which is splined to allow the shaft to move longitudinally through the wheel but to prevent relative rotation between the two. As illustrated in Figures 1 -and 5, the periphery of the wheel is provided withteeth 52 for engagement with the teeth of the rack section 35 previously described, and the outer face of the wheel is provided with'graduations 53 indicating quarters, eights and sixteenths of the periphery thereof. It is to be understood that the number of teeth 52 may vary according to the number of stations at which it is desired to lock the shaft 4| against rotation, but in general it has been found that if the wheel carries thirty-two teeth, it will be adequate for most purposes.

Assuming the device to be assembled, as illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, a bolt 54 is thrust through the opening in the arm 36, and passing through the opening 4D of the ller block 39, it lenters the slot 24 and projects outwardly from the outer face of the plate 22, as illustrated in Figure 3. A wing nut 55 is threaded on the outer end of the bolt to abut a Washer 55 supported on the bolt and bearing on the outer face Vof ,the plate 22. Due tothe slotted connection between the plate 22 and the arm 36, it is obvious that the carriage may be tilted about the pivot pin |8 to the desired angle and the plate 22 and carriage may then be locked together to swing in unison about the pivot 8 as suggested by the dotted line position of the parts in Figure 1.

In some instances, it may be vfound desirable to lock the segmental plate against lhorizontal swinging movement about its pivot, and to this end I provide a plate 22a with an arcuate slot 24a and graduations 23a, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, with an opening 51 which is adapted to be engaged by a pin 58 carried adjacent the free end of a leaf spring latch 59 which is attached by screws 59 to the arm |1a of a yoke designated generally |5a which corresponds.' in all respects, to the yoke l5. It will thus be seen that the plate 22a will be held against rotary movement when the carriage 26 is being adjusted, but that y at any time it may be so desired, the user may lift the latch 59 so as to disengage the pin 58 and permit the plate 22a to swing with the carriage.

In use, a` gem G is mounted on the end of the dop stick 44, as illustrated in Figure 1, to engage a lap wheel L. The angle at which the facet to be cut in the gem G is next determined and the wing nut 55 loosened on the bolt 54 so as to permit theshaft 4| to be swung to the desired angularposition withrespect to the lap wheel in accordance with the graduations 23 on the plate 22, it being understood that the pointer 38 cooperates with the graduations in determining the angle. The wing nut 55 is then tightened and the carriage and protractor platey 22 will thus be vlocked together so as tomove in unison about the pivot pin I8. Due to the engagement of the stop shoulder 25 with the stop 2|, it is obvious that the plate 22 and carriage cannot now be moved beyond the angular position desired. The collar l2 is next adjusted vertically on the standard I6 to produce the desired contact of the gern G with the lap wheel L and the nuts 41 and 48 are then adjusted on the 4upper end of thelshaft 4| tovlirnit the axial Amovement, of the shaft under the influence of the spring 49. In this manner, the angle of the facet to be produced and the depth of cut on the gem can be automatically regulated. Having cut one facet, it is but a simple matter to swing the shaft 4| as suggested in the dotted lines in Figure 1 and by lifting the thumb piece 34 of the latch spring 33, the teeth on the rack section 35 may be withdrawn from engagement with the teeth 52 of the wheel 50 so as to permit it to be turned about the axis of the shaft 4|. Such rotation of the wheel 50 will, of course, cause the shaft 4| torotate and thereby rotate the gem G about its axis to the desired position for cutting the next facet. Upon releasing the lifting pressure on the. shaft 4|, it will return to original position with the gern G contacting the lap wheel L and the cutting of the second facet may proceed. The operation is repeated until all of the similarly, positioned facets have been cut, and it will be seen, that due to the various controls and adjustments all similarly positioned facets will be cut to the same depth and at the same angle as the irst one. In this way a uniformly cut stone may be produced. Should it be so desired, the shaft 4|'may be elevated oif of the lap wheel at any time and the gem inspected so as to ascertain the progressof the cutting operation.

Geometrically, a variable right-angle triangle is formed by prolongation of the face of the lap wheel, the axis of the standard andthe axis of the dop rod, wherein the face of the lap wheel and the axis of the standard are the 'legs and the'axis of the dop rodis the hypotenuse. With the two legs of the right angled triangle xed,'the dop rod is movable raxially along the hypotenuse,v thusr assuring an adjustably xea angle of cut and with the depth of cut on the gem determined by the axial movement along the hypotenuse represented by the dop rod. Any variation in the length of the leg of the right-angle triangle represented by the axis of the stand is relatively unimportant because of the fact that the angles are xed (as desired and shown on the protractor) and the hypotenuse and other leg of the triangle Vary according to the setting of the one leg.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention, it is to be understood that minor changes in the details of construction and cornbination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is:

1. A faceting head which includes a vertically adjustable U-shaped yoke the arms of which lie in spaced parallel relation in the same longitudinal plane, a carriage pivotally supported between the arms of the yoke to swing about a horizontal axis, a sectorial plate pivotally supported by the yoke to swing about the horizontal axis, a stop carried by the yoke to limit the pivotal movement of the plate in one direction, a dop stick on the carriage lying along an axis perpendicular to that about which the carriage swings and means adjustably to couple the carriage with the sectorial plate to cause the stop to hold the dop stick at a predetermined angle with relation to the vertical, and means yieldingly to urge the dop stick away from the carriage.

2. A faceting head which includes a vertically adjustable U-shaped yoke the arms of which lie in spaced parallel relation in the same horizontal plane, a carriage pivotally supported between the arms of the yoke to swing about a. horizontal axis, a sectorial plate pivotally supported by the yoke to swing about the horizontal axis, a stop carried by the yoke to limit the pivotal movement of the plate in one direction, a dop stick mounted on the carriage to rotate about an axis which lies perpendicular to the horizontal axis about which the carriage swings, means adjustably to couple the carriage with the plate to cause the stop to hold the dop stick at a predetermined angle to the vertical, means releasably to hold the dop stick against rotation about its axis, and means yieldingly to urge the dop stick away from the carriage.

3. A faceting head which includes a vertically adjustable U-shape yoke the arms of which lie in spaced parallel relation in the same horizontal plane, a carriage pivotally supported between the arms of the yoke to swing about a horizontal axis, a sectorial plate pivotally supported by the yoke to swing about the horizontal axis, a stop carried by the yoke to limit the pivotal movement of the plate in one direction, a dop stick holder rotatably supported on the carriage to rotate about an axis which lies perpendicular to the horizontal axis about which the carriage swings, means adjustably to couple the carriage With the plate, a pinion on the dop stick holder adjacent the carriage, a toothed dog yieldingly supported on the carriage to engage the pinion and hold the dop stick holder against rotation about th'e perpendicular axis, and means yieldingly to urge the dop stick holder away from the carriage.

LEANDER M. WEIR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 457,866 Messaz Aug. 18, 1891 479,452 Passmore July 26, 1892 523,504 Armeny July 24, 1894 677,613 Armeny July 2, 1901 698,521 Kneip Apr, 29, 1902 740,902 Oostendorp Oct. 6, 1903 753,992 Marcher Mar. 8, 1904 925,016 McMullen June 1-5, 1909 1,075,321 Baldwin Oct. 14, 1913 1,329,371 Coleman Feb. 3, 1920 1,461,149 Hunt July 10, 1923 1,520,948 Heinz Dec. 30, 1924 1,894,010 Tautz Jan. 10, 1933 1,958,021 Schmidt May 8, 1934 2,096,422 Brunner Oct. 19, 1937 2,137,405 Johns Nov. 22, 1938 2,388,751 Levy Nov. 13, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 13,675 Great Britain June 8, 1911 

